Help with Shore Trooper Creation

[Buckethead18]

Hi there! I'm looking to put together my first set of armor (not made of cardboard lol)! I'm interested in doing a shore trooper. Specifically, a shore trooper officer. I don't have any equipment to build my own pieces, but I'm definitely interested in the art of making it movie-accurate and battle-worn. I'm based in Cincinnati if anyone has any contacts there. Looking forward to starting this journey! 

[BikerScout007]

34 minutes ago, Buckethead18 said:

Hi there! I'm looking to put together my first set of armor (not made of cardboard lol)! I'm interested in doing a shore trooper. Specifically, a shore trooper officer. I don't have any equipment to build my own pieces, but I'm definitely interested in the art of making it movie-accurate and battle-worn. I'm based in Cincinnati if anyone has any contacts there. Looking forward to starting this journey! 

Do you mean the Officer from Battlefront 2?  Currently there's only one of those in the whole Legion -- me!  So I'd love to have the company.

The Officer is largely the Captain from Rogue One with two part swaps.  Here are my threads for both:

 

 

My Officer is a blend of 3d printed and purchased ABS kit.  Any questions, ask!

[Buckethead18]

19 minutes ago, BikerScout007 said:

Do you mean the Officer from Battlefront 2?  Currently there's only one of those in the whole Legion -- me!  So I'd love to have the company.

The Officer is largely the Captain from Rogue One with two part swaps.  Here are my threads for both:

 

 

My Officer is a blend of 3d printed and purchased ABS kit.  Any questions, ask!

I'd be happy to join you (bank account willing haha)! This is a fantastic thread, thank you! 

[Aradun]

If you haven’t connected yet, reach out to the Ohio Garrison.

https://www.ohio501st.com

You’ll likely find local help, armor parties, etc., which will be a big help to you in your build process.

Start a build thread here when you’re ready, and you’ll find loads of help from the best armorers in the Legion.

[Cadet]

The Ohio Garrison has an "Academy" Program to help prospective members with their builds, and even attempts to pair them up with an approved member who has done a similar costume to offer advice, and once Social Distancing is relaxed again, in person help.  The Academy can be found here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/424411774598576

 

[Minimo]

Welcome!!! Looking forward to seeing you on the beach with us!!!

 

 

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[Buckethead18]

So I'm 5'4", 140 lbs and am worried about fit from most of the kits I'm finding online. Do you usually send measurements to places like 850ArmorWorks or Imperial Surplus to get the right fit? Or is it more of a they print, you make it work situation?

[Minimo]

13 minutes ago, Buckethead18 said:

So I'm 5'4", 140 lbs and am worried about fit from most of the kits I'm finding online. Do you usually send measurements to places like 850ArmorWorks or Imperial Surplus to get the right fit? Or is it more of a they print, you make it work situation?

So vendors such as 850 and Imperial Surplus make ABS vac formed kits.  They make those kits to fit a wide range of people but do not customize their items to an individual.

ABS can be modded to get a better fit, and even some of the people in this forum have shortened the length of the shins from an ABS kit.

Of those two kits, I believe Imperial Surplus makes a smaller kit  I am 5'7" and have a mostly Imperial Surplus kit, but you can certainly reach out to both vendors to see what they think.

If you have access to a 3d printer you can print the items at a smaller/larger scale depending on your size.

[Buckethead18]

32 minutes ago, Minimo said:

So vendors such as 850 and Imperial Surplus make ABS vac formed kits.  They make those kits to fit a wide range of people but do not customize their items to an individual.

ABS can be modded to get a better fit, and even some of the people in this forum have shortened the length of the shins from an ABS kit.

Of those two kits, I believe Imperial Surplus makes a smaller kit  I am 5'7" and have a mostly Imperial Surplus kit, but you can certainly reach out to both vendors to see what they think.

If you have access to a 3d printer you can print the items at a smaller/larger scale depending on your size.

Hmm. Both vendors said they were not comfortable recommending their kits to anyone below 5'7"... Do you know how successful people have been with shortening the length of shins? I also worry about the chest and back piece being too big.

 I do know someone with a printer and is in the 501st, but we are new friends so I don't want to ask for too much too quickly lol! Indeed people seem to be very helpful, but I absolutely do NOT want to take advantage of anyone.

[Minimo]

27 minutes ago, Buckethead18 said:

Hmm. Both vendors said they were not comfortable recommending their kits to anyone below 5'7"... Do you know how successful people have been with shortening the length of shins? I also worry about the chest and back piece being too big.

 I do know someone with a printer and is in the 501st, but we are new friends so I don't want to ask for too much too quickly lol! Indeed people seem to be very helpful, but I absolutely do NOT want to take advantage of anyone.

I understand that, printing a full armor can definitely be a big ask, but you can always asks and offer compensation... As an alternate option, you can always purchase a kit and print out just shins?

Scary guy has a BSP kit for which he shortened his shins, you can see that process here: 

The chest and back piece can be pretty flexible, I have worked with three different ABS kits as well as the Jimi Fiberglass kit, I would say the smallest of the ones I have seen is Imperial Surplus.  I am interested in knowing the size of the BSP kit and maybe @ScaryGuyor @KOtroopercan comment on the fit for that kit.

Other vendors may be found in this link, it might be worth reaching out them all to discuss your dimensions and potential fit.

 I will take some pictures of my wife with my chest armor so you can have a better point of reference.

 

[Minimo]

Hmm. Both vendors said they were not comfortable recommending their kits to anyone below 5'7"... Do you know how successful people have been with shortening the length of shins? I also worry about the chest and back piece being too big.
 I do know someone with a printer and is in the 501st, but we are new friends so I don't want to ask for too much too quickly lol! Indeed people seem to be very helpful, but I absolutely do NOT want to take advantage of anyone.

My wife is 5’4” and wears a XS-S shirt:






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[KOtrooper]

I have a BSP kit and shimmed out the ab armor to fit further down the hips. It gives an illusion of a longer torso. I'm 5'8" and didn't need to trim the shin armor at all. I did have to take in the width of the forearm armor though... It was huge on me.

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[ScaryGuy]

The main reason I modified my BSP shins was to get rid of the moulded in shin straps which don’t look very accurate. As an added bonus I could shorten them at the same time. The biggest issue with the BSP kit is that everything is very wide. As you can in my build thread that Minimo linked, I have modified the forearms, biceps, shins and side bridges to reduce the width. 

This is a picture of my modified BSP kit. I’m 5’7 and around 150 lbs. The chest and shin plates look relatively big, but workable at my length. If the choice is between BSP and Imperial Surplus, Imperial Surplus would be the better option size and accuracy wise.

 

Reducing the length of other parts would be difficult. If you really want a good fit, 3D printed armor is the way to go, although the sanding process is not going to be fun. This is my new and scaled 3d printed shoretrooper.

 

Maybe it’s time to invest in your own 3D printer , abs kits aren’t cheap either. Have a look at Cricket’s build thread, she’s 5’4 too. The result is amazing. You can’t tell she is smaller until a taller person would stand next to her.